Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think my gecko is blind or really stupid. He can't strike a cricket without missing it about ten times first, and even if the cricket jus stands still hell attack the sand 1.5 inches away from it. I tried feeding him worms today, as i reached in andf put the worm on his log he had more intrest in trying to eat my finger then the worm. So i figured i could hand feed it... Big Mistake! He grabbed my finger that wasnt even holding the worm, I had no idea those little guys could draw blood, it was rather painfull. Any idea on why hes the way he is?
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My Pets Include:2 Leoperd Geckos, 1 Veiled Chameleon, 1 Red Eared Slider, 1 Whites Tree Frog, 1 Bearded dragon

Im not sure as to why hes missing his prey....But i would get him off the sand for a lil while. How old is he??Is he an albino.? I notice my albinos miss alot during the day if theres a stray cricket. The albinos' eyes are very sensitive to light.

Reptile
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www.reptilefreaks.tk
4.7.2 leopard geckos (super hypo tangs, blizzards,albinos)
1.0.2 crested geckos (lite cream fire, buckskin, tiger)
1.2 golden geckos
1.1 texas collared lizards
1.1 veiled chameleons
1.0 Bearded dragon

No it's deffinitly not an albino... hes been like this ever since i got him about a year ago the only reason i made a post now was because the bite on my finger.
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My Pets Include:2 Leoperd Geckos, 1 Veiled Chameleon, 1 Red Eared Slider, 1 Whites Tree Frog, 1 Bearded dragon

You're not the only one with this problem. My leo ive had for roughly 4 months is doing this as well. She is full grown and seems fine except for the fact that she had horrible aim. i dont even bother with crickets cause they freak her out and it takes on average 5-6 strikes before she finally gets that worm. Really weird i dont have an explanation for it. watch out tho, it could be a sign of something because my leo has refused food almost 2 months now, i dont know if her not being able to catch it has anything to do with it or not. now i have to cram frozen crickets down her throat every day.

When part of the day do you feed your leopard gecko?
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Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!! Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!

I just put the mealworms in whenever i have time and the leos eat them whenever they come out at night.
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we have eyes facing forward; therefore, we have good depth perception. Leos have eyes placed more to the side of their head; therefore, they have poor depth perception. They do adjust and get better at catching prey. Crickets are harder to catch due to the movement (crickets are also pretty quick). Also keep in mind if the food item isn't moving it is nearly impossible for the leo to see it (they only see black, white & shades of grey). Having your leo on sand isn't a detriment to its health if you are taking precautions: check the stool (poop) to make sure there isn't a large amount of sand passing & make sure it is pooping regularly, keep fresh clean water in the cage daily, keep a dish of calcium, don't pile the sand (I use 1/8" of sand in my cage set up), only use sand for leos that are adult size or nearly adult size. Don't use sand with sick/weak or young geckos.

Has it been proven that leopard geckos only see black and white and shades of gray???If so is there a web site that proves it???It would be interesting to see

Reptile
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www.reptilefreaks.tk
4.7.2 leopard geckos (super hypo tangs, blizzards,albinos)
1.0.2 crested geckos (lite cream fire, buckskin, tiger)
1.2 golden geckos
1.1 texas collared lizards
1.1 veiled chameleons
1.0 Bearded dragon

Leopard geckos are nocturnal...why would they need to see in color? Many reptiles do see color, although it is much different then the way we see color (they have different cones). As far as looking for a website "that proves" anything, I wouldn't be looking to a website if I wanted anything proven. I have 2 degrees in biology and I have conducted studies on color blindness in mammals (many of them are color blind, actually most of them are color blind).

I posted that same question out of curiousity regarding red lights. That does make sense though, nocturnal animals don't require color, so with red/colored lights they would only notice shadows and warmth?

Also regarding the orginal post i have a 4 year old female who used to be able to catch crix in the air (before they were dropped into her dish) when she was a Juvi now she's just as you describe your leos, slow, multiple strike eater. Its nothing to worry about as long as they actually eat no matter how long it takes. And you'll be surprised at how well they can adapt i keep switching feeding bowls and they will figure them out in a day or so.

I wasnt questioning your opinions or knowledge. I really thought it would be interesting to see the tests and results. I am going to college for biology. I am very interested in it and thought it would be a great thing to learn if someone had found out if leos or other herps have some degree of color sight or blindness.I think that geckos or other herps have awesome eyes and maybe theres more to it than what you see on the outside. You say you worked with mammals thats great, but they are very different from reptiles. I would like to eventually see the studies done on herps themself and then go from there....

Reptile
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www.reptilefreaks.tk
4.7.2 leopard geckos (super hypo tangs, blizzards,albinos)
1.0.2 crested geckos (lite cream fire, buckskin, tiger)
1.2 golden geckos
1.1 texas collared lizards
1.1 veiled chameleons
1.0 Bearded dragon

I never thought you were questioning anything except can leos see color. I know from experience that nocturnal animals have no need to see color becuase the lack of light (at night) makes it impossible to discern colors, so color vision for a nocturnal animal is pretty much useless. Most studies done on color vision on animals requires the animal to be deceased. The eye is dissected and rod and cone shaped cells (really just the cones) are identified and studied to determine what the animal can see. Some scientist are looking into the possibilty that some dinosaurs had color vision(of course no one can really "prove" it). I made the statement about not looking to the internet for proof because some internet information is inconclusive, badly designed or just outright bogus.

I guess it makes sense because at night its dark. lol. But do some geckos have the ability to sense heat like some snakes. I know they dont have the pits like snakes but....

In they eye when disected, what does the cone cell and rod cells mean. Cones for color?? If you could briefly explain it that would be great.I dont know if your familiar with horse eyes, but they have a second set of "eyelashes" in the eye, what are they for??

Also maybe a better question would be is there a book out there that goes indepth about all this eye sight and colors stuff???

Thanks hill

Reptile
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www.reptilefreaks.tk
4.7.2 leopard geckos (super hypo tangs, blizzards,albinos)
1.0.2 crested geckos (lite cream fire, buckskin, tiger)
1.2 golden geckos
1.1 texas collared lizards
1.1 veiled chameleons
1.0 Bearded dragon

The rods are like little light detectors, not for color vision. The cones are for seeing in color (and I think they also help with the overall sight an animal has). For the cones to work there has to be light...sort of like when you are in a dark theater (before the movie comes on) you really can't see colors, a blue shirt looks black. There are different cones for different colors. We have 3 types of cones and some animals have 4. Some animals are missing certain cones and will not be able to sense those particular colors (that is why some people are red/green color-blind). As far as being able to study color blindness without killing and dissecting the animal, it could be done but it isn't as reliable. I trained rats to go to the color red to mess with some students who were studying color blindness in rats. They see the red as a shade of gray, so they keep going to that shade of gray (the red) to get the reward. And the students interpret that as the rat being able to see colors. I don't know of any specific books that look into reptile vision, probably some available at vet schools.

that is a special sense altogether. It requires a whole other set of receptors (nerves). The thought on this is that it developed in reptiles around the same time as birds and mammals began showing up.

thanks again for all the info hill.....

Reptile
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www.reptilefreaks.tk
4.7.2 leopard geckos (super hypo tangs, blizzards,albinos)
1.0.2 crested geckos (lite cream fire, buckskin, tiger)
1.2 golden geckos
1.1 texas collared lizards
1.1 veiled chameleons
1.0 Bearded dragon